The invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for repairing cylinders and more specifically to a method and apparatus for onsite repair of motor vehicle front axle steering components, namely the king pin receiving eye.
Not only large tractor-trailers, utilized for cross country transport of goods, but smaller motor vehicles, utilized for local distribution and delivery of goods, may readily accumulate one hundred thousand or one hundred fifty thousand miles of service per year. Such use is the obvious result of simple economic analysis which makes it apparent that such a vehicle is not earning money when it is stationary.
It is also not earning money when it is out of service for repairs of either a preventative or necessary nature. Whereas preventative maintenance in may situations is valuable and the key to minimizing relatively predictable breakdowns and problems, it is too costly to anticipate and replace every component which may possibly fail after a period of operation which may very widely depending upon service related parameters. In short, although some vehicle components can be checked and repaired or replaced on a regular preventative maintentance schedule, there are many components which it is uneconomical to include in preventative maintenance programs. They will simply fail, more or less unpredictably, in service.
One of the major reasons for dismissing preventive maintentance in many situations is the expense attendant tearing down a component, inspecting various elements therein and reassembling the component. Such activities can infrequently be economically justified.
The result of the foregoing is that certain vehicle components will fail unexpectedly and at inconvenient times, i.e., at great distances from service facilities and terminals. It is therefore important to provide apparatus and techniques whereby commonly encountered unpredictable failures of motor vehicle equipment maybe repaired at the failure site as a means of not only minimizing the repair expense but also the period of time during which the vehicle remains out of service.
I have developed several machines and methods for repairing the undercarriage and suspension component of motor vehicles, especially tractor trailer rigs at the failure site and without removing the damaged component from the vehicle. For example, my U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,029 granted Jul. 4, 1978 teaches a method and apparatus for rebuilding and resurfacing the bearing surfaces of vehicle axles.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,732 issued Jun. 26, 1984 is directed to a method for rebuilding vehicle drive axles by removing a portion of the axle, boring a concentric reentrant opening in the end of the axle and inserting and securing a stub axle thereinto. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,795 granted Feb. 25, 1986 is directed to the boring apparatus utilized in the above described method.
A review of these and other patents directed to various boring apparatus and onsite vehicle repair techniques reveals that further improvements in such devices are possible.
One area in which this is epecially true relates to the front axle steering components of a truck. Typically the front axle is a transverse, horizontally extending beam or bar having a vertically oriented cylinder or eye disposed at each end which receives a stationary knuckle pin or king pin. The king pin extends above and below the axle and pivotally supports a steering knuckle upon which a front tire is rotatably supported and to which the tie rods are secured. The king pin eye is subject to slow but constant wear and must therefore eventually be bored and resleeved.